We have had essentially three days of no email, no phone, no internet. Man, was it weird!! It didn't take us very long to relax, though.
Saturday evening (before our retreat officially began) Roger and I went out on a "real" date. Our first date since Charlotte had passed. We went out to dinner and then went to see Avatar in Imax 3-D. Since the 7 PM show we intended to see was sold out, we hung around Barnes and Noble and Target until we made our way to the movie. The movie was wonderful! We had a really good evening out.
Since we didn't make it home from the movie till almost 2 AM, we took our time getting things going on Sunday. We left the house at about noon and set out towards Nelson County. We meandered and stopped at a few wineries along the way, arriving at Bryan's Oasis at about 5 PM.
Don't know if we've posted about this yet, but Bryan's Oasis is a 2 bedroom cottage in the middle of the George Washington National Forest. The Graeser family started this retreat a few years ago in honor of their 21-year old son Bryan who died from cancer. They work in partnership with Noah's Children to make this possible for grieving parents.
We were free to do as we pleased while we were there while having meals cooked for us and a roaring fire kept going in the wood stove. It was peaceful and relaxing. On Monday, we took a scenic drive around the area and Roger actually "got his line wet", doing a little fishing. I did a lot of reading and relaxing.
This afternoon, it was back to reality. Once we got to I-64 we finally had our email and phone access back. Fortunately, there were no emergencies and only a few emails to attend to. Now the real work begins. I think we are both ready to begin jumping back into work and "real life". We're going to try to keep our control and go in baby steps!
Seems like plans are coming together for the Memorial Service. The first of the family will start to arrive tomorrow and more will be coming in over the next few days.
Showing posts with label date night. Show all posts
Showing posts with label date night. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentine's date
I know you're all just dying to know...The date was a very nice night out. Of course, mostly all we did was talk about Charlotte!We were going to get dinner and then a movie but then the evening got a little later than we expected so we decided against the movie and went to find somewhere without an hour wait on Valentines (Don't try that at Texas Roadhouse!)We finally settled in at Ruby Tuesday's in VCC which is one of our preferred places. Can't beat the turkey bella burger.Charlotte was cared for (and I do mean cared for) by Auntie 'Retta who, as usual, showered her with love and positive energy all night.CJ was uncomfortable a good part of the evening and was still awake when got back after 11:00pm. Both Rachel and I sat with her and the 3-hour nap she got yesterday, coupled with the pain kept us up until about 1:10am. We were up watching Diego, we read books, we ate, toast and butter (real butter! Mmmm...). Finally I just said, "Charlotte, as soon as you eat this last piece of toast, you HAVE to go to sleep." She said, "OK." and was out in about a minute.Busy day for me today. I'm starting off a 10am Birthday Bash, heading up to Ladysmith for a special Pirate Party for Ladysmith Village at 1:00, and then continuing northward to Woodbridge for an Uptown rehearsal. This week is huge so Dad and Juanita are coming back up to lend extra hands. I believe there's a new case for the foam rubber hockey sticks in RNR's future. Thanks Dad.Well,Here's to Charlotte and Rachel sleeping in. Both very good things.By the way, CJ ended up having four small walks yesterday. Good work, girl!
Rachel here:
My Turn...I just want to add my 2-cents and wax a little poetic about my family.We did have a lovely evening last night. It was so good to just talk with Roger about all the different feelings that keep "popping" up as we think about what has happened and what will/might happen in the journey ahead. Through all of this I continue to feel incredibly blessed. I know that may sound strange and ironic to some given what we have been through, but I'm just not programmed to think any differently. When Roger says "we" were up with Charlotte last night, it really was just him. I was falling asleep at her bedside (which actually amused her to no end when I bonked my chin on the bedrail) and Roger gave me the a-ok to hightail it to sleep. Then he was up-and-at-'em and out the door by 7:15. You know, he may not be perfect and I have sometimes complained about his faults (I mean, really, it's GOT to be better to do things MY way...) but I really couldn't ask for a better husband! He's a keeper.An update on the bracelets: I think based on "pre-orders", we are already sold out of the first batch. Melissa will be sending some out soon. Annette is creating a web-page link so we can do online orders through paypal as well (if anyone wants to use that option). This is all "coming soon" and we will send out an update when it is official. We will be putting in a new order for bracelets soon so if you haven't received yours yet, you will in due time. If I haven't mentioned it yet, special thanks to the Virginia Music Therapy Association and the Harmony Fund for the "seed money" for the bracelets. I will sign off as the lil' princess will probably be awake soon.Rachel
Pancakes for Charlotte
Another busy day! She slept in until after 10! Then she wanted pancakes for breakfast and, of course, mama didn't have any instant pancakes in the freezer. And waffles just wouldn't do. SOOOOO, I made homemade pancakes for Charlotte (the things I do these days...). Of course, I laced them with flax meal while she ate her applesauce laced with flax oil. I finally gave her a shower today. She screamed the whole time but I think she did feel better afterward and her hair looks much better.Around 1 PM, Anja and her mom Meredith came by. They are friends from Charlotte's Preschool (Hanover Montessori). Charlotte and Anja had a wonderful playdate while Meredith organized the pantry and helped hang lots of Charlotte's get well cards in the dining room (did I mention she's a designer??). Charlotte and Anja played dress-up, read stories, colored, watched Dora and laughed, laughed, laughed. It was wonderful. During the course of the day, we have also had two more "unassisted" poops. Praise be FLAX!Now dinner is cooking (thanks Hansen family) and we are settling in for a quiet evening. Roger has been working all day at RNR and a rehearsal in Northern VA. Busy guy!Gotta go check on my cookie monster...(she keeps asking for more of those great Plank Family cookies and gosh darn it, I keep giving them to her. So much for not spoiling her appetite for a healthy dinner!)Rachel
Rachel here:
My Turn...I just want to add my 2-cents and wax a little poetic about my family.We did have a lovely evening last night. It was so good to just talk with Roger about all the different feelings that keep "popping" up as we think about what has happened and what will/might happen in the journey ahead. Through all of this I continue to feel incredibly blessed. I know that may sound strange and ironic to some given what we have been through, but I'm just not programmed to think any differently. When Roger says "we" were up with Charlotte last night, it really was just him. I was falling asleep at her bedside (which actually amused her to no end when I bonked my chin on the bedrail) and Roger gave me the a-ok to hightail it to sleep. Then he was up-and-at-'em and out the door by 7:15. You know, he may not be perfect and I have sometimes complained about his faults (I mean, really, it's GOT to be better to do things MY way...) but I really couldn't ask for a better husband! He's a keeper.An update on the bracelets: I think based on "pre-orders", we are already sold out of the first batch. Melissa will be sending some out soon. Annette is creating a web-page link so we can do online orders through paypal as well (if anyone wants to use that option). This is all "coming soon" and we will send out an update when it is official. We will be putting in a new order for bracelets soon so if you haven't received yours yet, you will in due time. If I haven't mentioned it yet, special thanks to the Virginia Music Therapy Association and the Harmony Fund for the "seed money" for the bracelets. I will sign off as the lil' princess will probably be awake soon.Rachel
Pancakes for Charlotte
Another busy day! She slept in until after 10! Then she wanted pancakes for breakfast and, of course, mama didn't have any instant pancakes in the freezer. And waffles just wouldn't do. SOOOOO, I made homemade pancakes for Charlotte (the things I do these days...). Of course, I laced them with flax meal while she ate her applesauce laced with flax oil. I finally gave her a shower today. She screamed the whole time but I think she did feel better afterward and her hair looks much better.Around 1 PM, Anja and her mom Meredith came by. They are friends from Charlotte's Preschool (Hanover Montessori). Charlotte and Anja had a wonderful playdate while Meredith organized the pantry and helped hang lots of Charlotte's get well cards in the dining room (did I mention she's a designer??). Charlotte and Anja played dress-up, read stories, colored, watched Dora and laughed, laughed, laughed. It was wonderful. During the course of the day, we have also had two more "unassisted" poops. Praise be FLAX!Now dinner is cooking (thanks Hansen family) and we are settling in for a quiet evening. Roger has been working all day at RNR and a rehearsal in Northern VA. Busy guy!Gotta go check on my cookie monster...(she keeps asking for more of those great Plank Family cookies and gosh darn it, I keep giving them to her. So much for not spoiling her appetite for a healthy dinner!)Rachel
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Date Night, Shout Outs
Date Night
I second Roger in apologizing for very little update yesterday. It was a very busy day all around and as mentioned, there were internet issues.
Roger and I enjoyed a wonderful "date" down in Shockoe Bottom. It was so nice to be in a non-hospital setting and talk about everything. We had a great time and a great meal. To continue the "dealing with a newborn" analogy, we defintely felt like that first time when you leave the baby with the sitter and go away for a few hours. You have that strange feeling of joy, worry, and relief all at once and you tell about a million people "call us if you need anything". Much thanks to Grandpa and Juanita for entertaining CJ and Phyllis for chauffering us around.
When we returned, Charlotte was still awake (watching videos!) and a bit whiny. she did get a new dose of morphine but it took a little while to settle down. She keeps complaining of itching at her incision site (understandable). Once she fell asleep, though, we both slept very well. I only remember waking a few times last night and almost immediately went back to sleep. She slept almost straight through till 7 am.
Awoke hungry and has already eaten almost 3 packages of graham crackers. Waiting for breakfast!! Now she's dozing again.
We look forward to our Sunday visitors. Get here before the game starts! I personally don't have a "favorite" this time so I will root for the commercials.
I am sure Monday will be a busy day. All our therapies will come to visit plus we await a visit from Dr. Khan and his crew with news about an oncology plan.
All for now...
Rachel
SHOUT OUTS!
Thanks go out to CiCi's Pizza in Glen Allen for providing us with food the other day. We have a great working relationship with them. We send them lots of customers and they make us look good when pizzas come to Birthday Bashes. Jeff and Nicole and everyone there are "da bomb."We also got another couple of meals from the Yahoo dads club (Todd I WILL call you today, I promise!) and I got to meet another dad to whom I've only talked online (The internet still amazes me).The Virginia Music Therapy Association provided some seriously good (and big) dinners all last week. You also fed some other families with loved ones on the floor. A wonderful bonus.The families of Hanover Montessori School, besides buying us a new freezer, also filled it up this week. My special ice cream cake, or what's left of it, is in there too. Thanks Horn family!The gifts keep coming in from all over and we're doing our best to keep track. It's becoming part of our therapy to go through cards, bags, boxes, etc... and keep track of who gave us what. Your generosity will be major plot point in the Lifetime move that will have to be made some day.I very much enjoyed the birthday date last night. I had the rarest of all delicacies, at least for me, lobster! Actually, the meal combined multiple favorite foods - lobster, trout, and pasta all on the same plate.We then walked around the Slip for a while and experienced a great cross section of "interesting people" who frequent entertainment/dining sections of urban downtown areas. I believe alcohol played a factor in a great deal of it. Lots of fun! I really love Richmond.One of the bigger shout outs goes to Aunt B (Becky) for coming out from New Mexico. She left for home yesterday and, I assume, got back safely. (no need to call) It was great having her here and CJ loved having her around.Hey! It's Super Bowl Sunday! Believe it or not, It keeps slipping my mind and then creeps back up and pounces on me. I'm all for the Cardinals. I want Kurt Warner to win a Super Bowl with two separate teams. I don't think a starting QB has ever done that. CJ is still going to root for the Broncos.
St. Judes?
About that St, Jude's Childrens' Hospital thing...I probably misspoke when I posted that. When we were having a meeting with the docs about possible future plans, St. Jude's came up as an option and I thought they were recommending we go there. It seemed strange but I went with it.The truth is, as wonderful as St. Jude's is, we've been getting the best treatment in the world right here and we can't see uprooting everyone and traveling far away to a place where we don't know very many people.Odds are we'll stay right here for now. I WAS looking forward to camping out at Graceland but I guess that can wait for another day.Now just watch us move to Alaska or India or something.
Going Wireless at the hospital
This update is brought to you courtesy of the brand new Eee PC which was very generously donated by yet another family. And our AT&T wireless card has come in very handy as well since the internet at the hospital is sketchy. Still getting used to the keyboard so forgive me if my spelling is worse than usual.
We had a little adventure today. Charlotte has become a victim of her own success. They have had a rash of critical admissions so they moved Charlotte down the hall to another less critical (and slightly lessroomie and comfy) room. We are lucky that it's a "private" room where all the other beds are separated by curtains. No private shower anymore. We'll all survive but the move was kind of sudden and we had to scramble to get all of CJ's gifts packed and moved. Thanks to Dad and Heather for schleping everything. We've now had two trips to take stuff home. We're getting close to our space limit for CJ gifts so although we hugely appreciate all the things filling up CJ's room, it's becoming a possibility that any gifts you bring to the hospital may be re-donated to some of the other children here. Some could really use them.
There are others here who could use your positive energy tonight: Sarah, the adrable red-haired girl has been having a rough time and on top of that, her mother had a mild stroke this morning. She's already been released so it's not life threatening but it's one more thing they didn't need. There was also a baby that "coded" as we were moving CJ to her new room. The amazing staff here at MCV brought her back pretty quickly but she's not out of the woods.
Speaking of doing things in the woods, CJ hasn't released her bowels since the last monumental event so I believe they're going to force another one. Fun fun fun! She's also still itching and they're trying to minimize the morphine.
I'm actually in the lounge waiting for the Super Bowl kick off so I'll post this for now. As Rachel said, GO COMMERCIALS!!!
Rachel needs to rest...
Tired....
I'm very, very tired so I will keep this short. What a crazy few weeks it has been. I have spent the evening playing some "catch up" at home and will be off to RnR tomorrow to keep things rolling (and romping).
I think my house is cleaner now than it has been since before the holidays (thanks, family!) I haven't cooked a meal in two weeks (thanks to SO many) and I am so grateful for all that we have been given because I know that I would not have had the strength or ability to do anything domestic with all the emotional energy I have had to procure and use. I am learning how to delegate better. Please do not be offended if you ask me what you can do to help and I say, "I don't know." I'm learning too.
The words of wisdom, strength, hope, and peace that have come to me through phone calls, emails, caring bridge messages, visits, and in so many other ways have helped us through. I think Roger and I are now addicted to this "blog"...a good thing because I think we have sucked in a few fans! This journal has become my therapy so despite my fatigue, I must complete at least one entry a day...
Yes, as Roger mentioned, we are now on the "step-down" unit of the children's floor. We are still located on the 7th floor and you will still follow similar procedures to see us/meet up with us BUT the direct phone number to the room has changed so please call our cell phones if you need to reach us. We can receive text messages fairly easily too (if that works for you). She is now in room 707. While we did not want to move, we were lucky enough to end up in a "semi-private" area of the unit and the nurses seem wonderful already. Hopefully, the next week or so will mean quick progress for Charlotte and we will get ready for the next step of the journey. I am sure that there will be more meetings with Dr. Khan (our oncologist) now that Dr. Tye is happy with how she is progressing post-op.
Her left side continues to be weak so we know PT and OT will be a part of her future. Rumor has it that there will be a speech/language evaluation too. Mommy thinks it should go fairly well (wink, wink!).
I will really sign off now. Maybe I'll actually catch the last 30 seconds of the super bowl. Sounds like it was a good game...
Rachel
I second Roger in apologizing for very little update yesterday. It was a very busy day all around and as mentioned, there were internet issues.
Roger and I enjoyed a wonderful "date" down in Shockoe Bottom. It was so nice to be in a non-hospital setting and talk about everything. We had a great time and a great meal. To continue the "dealing with a newborn" analogy, we defintely felt like that first time when you leave the baby with the sitter and go away for a few hours. You have that strange feeling of joy, worry, and relief all at once and you tell about a million people "call us if you need anything". Much thanks to Grandpa and Juanita for entertaining CJ and Phyllis for chauffering us around.
When we returned, Charlotte was still awake (watching videos!) and a bit whiny. she did get a new dose of morphine but it took a little while to settle down. She keeps complaining of itching at her incision site (understandable). Once she fell asleep, though, we both slept very well. I only remember waking a few times last night and almost immediately went back to sleep. She slept almost straight through till 7 am.
Awoke hungry and has already eaten almost 3 packages of graham crackers. Waiting for breakfast!! Now she's dozing again.
We look forward to our Sunday visitors. Get here before the game starts! I personally don't have a "favorite" this time so I will root for the commercials.
I am sure Monday will be a busy day. All our therapies will come to visit plus we await a visit from Dr. Khan and his crew with news about an oncology plan.
All for now...
Rachel
SHOUT OUTS!
Thanks go out to CiCi's Pizza in Glen Allen for providing us with food the other day. We have a great working relationship with them. We send them lots of customers and they make us look good when pizzas come to Birthday Bashes. Jeff and Nicole and everyone there are "da bomb."We also got another couple of meals from the Yahoo dads club (Todd I WILL call you today, I promise!) and I got to meet another dad to whom I've only talked online (The internet still amazes me).The Virginia Music Therapy Association provided some seriously good (and big) dinners all last week. You also fed some other families with loved ones on the floor. A wonderful bonus.The families of Hanover Montessori School, besides buying us a new freezer, also filled it up this week. My special ice cream cake, or what's left of it, is in there too. Thanks Horn family!The gifts keep coming in from all over and we're doing our best to keep track. It's becoming part of our therapy to go through cards, bags, boxes, etc... and keep track of who gave us what. Your generosity will be major plot point in the Lifetime move that will have to be made some day.I very much enjoyed the birthday date last night. I had the rarest of all delicacies, at least for me, lobster! Actually, the meal combined multiple favorite foods - lobster, trout, and pasta all on the same plate.We then walked around the Slip for a while and experienced a great cross section of "interesting people" who frequent entertainment/dining sections of urban downtown areas. I believe alcohol played a factor in a great deal of it. Lots of fun! I really love Richmond.One of the bigger shout outs goes to Aunt B (Becky) for coming out from New Mexico. She left for home yesterday and, I assume, got back safely. (no need to call) It was great having her here and CJ loved having her around.Hey! It's Super Bowl Sunday! Believe it or not, It keeps slipping my mind and then creeps back up and pounces on me. I'm all for the Cardinals. I want Kurt Warner to win a Super Bowl with two separate teams. I don't think a starting QB has ever done that. CJ is still going to root for the Broncos.
St. Judes?
About that St, Jude's Childrens' Hospital thing...I probably misspoke when I posted that. When we were having a meeting with the docs about possible future plans, St. Jude's came up as an option and I thought they were recommending we go there. It seemed strange but I went with it.The truth is, as wonderful as St. Jude's is, we've been getting the best treatment in the world right here and we can't see uprooting everyone and traveling far away to a place where we don't know very many people.Odds are we'll stay right here for now. I WAS looking forward to camping out at Graceland but I guess that can wait for another day.Now just watch us move to Alaska or India or something.
Going Wireless at the hospital
This update is brought to you courtesy of the brand new Eee PC which was very generously donated by yet another family. And our AT&T wireless card has come in very handy as well since the internet at the hospital is sketchy. Still getting used to the keyboard so forgive me if my spelling is worse than usual.
We had a little adventure today. Charlotte has become a victim of her own success. They have had a rash of critical admissions so they moved Charlotte down the hall to another less critical (and slightly lessroomie and comfy) room. We are lucky that it's a "private" room where all the other beds are separated by curtains. No private shower anymore. We'll all survive but the move was kind of sudden and we had to scramble to get all of CJ's gifts packed and moved. Thanks to Dad and Heather for schleping everything. We've now had two trips to take stuff home. We're getting close to our space limit for CJ gifts so although we hugely appreciate all the things filling up CJ's room, it's becoming a possibility that any gifts you bring to the hospital may be re-donated to some of the other children here. Some could really use them.
There are others here who could use your positive energy tonight: Sarah, the adrable red-haired girl has been having a rough time and on top of that, her mother had a mild stroke this morning. She's already been released so it's not life threatening but it's one more thing they didn't need. There was also a baby that "coded" as we were moving CJ to her new room. The amazing staff here at MCV brought her back pretty quickly but she's not out of the woods.
Speaking of doing things in the woods, CJ hasn't released her bowels since the last monumental event so I believe they're going to force another one. Fun fun fun! She's also still itching and they're trying to minimize the morphine.
I'm actually in the lounge waiting for the Super Bowl kick off so I'll post this for now. As Rachel said, GO COMMERCIALS!!!
Rachel needs to rest...
Tired....
I'm very, very tired so I will keep this short. What a crazy few weeks it has been. I have spent the evening playing some "catch up" at home and will be off to RnR tomorrow to keep things rolling (and romping).
I think my house is cleaner now than it has been since before the holidays (thanks, family!) I haven't cooked a meal in two weeks (thanks to SO many) and I am so grateful for all that we have been given because I know that I would not have had the strength or ability to do anything domestic with all the emotional energy I have had to procure and use. I am learning how to delegate better. Please do not be offended if you ask me what you can do to help and I say, "I don't know." I'm learning too.
The words of wisdom, strength, hope, and peace that have come to me through phone calls, emails, caring bridge messages, visits, and in so many other ways have helped us through. I think Roger and I are now addicted to this "blog"...a good thing because I think we have sucked in a few fans! This journal has become my therapy so despite my fatigue, I must complete at least one entry a day...
Yes, as Roger mentioned, we are now on the "step-down" unit of the children's floor. We are still located on the 7th floor and you will still follow similar procedures to see us/meet up with us BUT the direct phone number to the room has changed so please call our cell phones if you need to reach us. We can receive text messages fairly easily too (if that works for you). She is now in room 707. While we did not want to move, we were lucky enough to end up in a "semi-private" area of the unit and the nurses seem wonderful already. Hopefully, the next week or so will mean quick progress for Charlotte and we will get ready for the next step of the journey. I am sure that there will be more meetings with Dr. Khan (our oncologist) now that Dr. Tye is happy with how she is progressing post-op.
Her left side continues to be weak so we know PT and OT will be a part of her future. Rumor has it that there will be a speech/language evaluation too. Mommy thinks it should go fairly well (wink, wink!).
I will really sign off now. Maybe I'll actually catch the last 30 seconds of the super bowl. Sounds like it was a good game...
Rachel
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